Perhaps it’s the lack of outside stimuli that lends itself to clearer thinking. Or maybe it’s just good old fashioned insomnia. Either way, I do get some of my better plot ideas as I lay in bed in the middle of the night.

As summer draws to a close, retailers are chomping at the bit to remind us of fall with halloween decorations crowding out the back to school sales and we’re all cringing at the impending onslaught of pumpkin flavored foods.

For me, it’s a time to consider revisions of previous editions to my books, and of course, try my damnedest to finish my current book, Book 6 Woman in the Wind. My life has really gotten in the way of this book, in an incredibly good way, I grant you. But I know it needs to get done.

Maybe my brain is starting to feel the pressure now too. Usually it’s not so motivated. But as I begin to return to a normalcy in much of my life, I feel my characters calling to me again.

I went to Door County, Wisconsin this summer on a family vacation of sorts. Since I have chosen to place the 6th book in that location, it was crucial that I make a return trip to my favorite haunts, and add some new ones. It was a fruitful journey. I wrote a major climax to the book while I was there, full of my usual twists and surprises.

As I feel out the backstories of this book’s characters, my recurring characters are becoming more rounded, which is always good. There are, however, decisions that still have to be made. I still haven’t decided where Bernice and Evan will end up.

Part of me really wants to shift gears with the main characters and perhaps let other people get kidnapped, shot at, blown up, and generally navigate life threatening situations for a while. Darlene and Cameron are awfully stable at the moment. Maybe they could use some excitement. Maybe in Book 7, it’ll be time to bring the mayhem back to the backwoods of northwest Wisconsin.

This is what I think about when sleep eludes me for whatever reason. If I’m lucky, dawn will be approaching, and I can just get up and start the day. Or maybe it’s only 3:30 a.m and I have to get up to pee. Either way, progress is progress.